The invention generally relates to tracking the execution of a program loaded into an information processing system, for instance defined by the following minimal configuration: one central processing unit, a central memory, one or more input and/or output peripherals, an operating system, and at the option of the user, one or more application programs.
For several years, the use of the information processing tool has gradually tended toward a convivial mode between the information processing system and its direct user. The convivial mode is used particularly for assisting non-professional users in real time. For example, numerous kinds of applications software have a "help" function that is activated by a reserved key of the keyboard. Nevertheless, until now, this assistance has remained quite limited and quite general (being in the form of a directory or a reminder), because of the lack of specific instantaneous information on the execution status of the program being run and on the context in which the program is being used. This situation is particularly problematic in applications where conviviality has a certain importance, in particular in self-training or in trouble-shooting during use.